52 CAKNIVORA 



Within Dr Hardy's recollection they were plentiful in the 

 east of Berwickshire, in such localities as Dowlaw dean and 

 the Pease dean woods, but he has not seen one " nailed up " 

 for a long time, though he believed it had not been extirpated 

 in the former of these localities so recently as 1880 (Harvie- 

 Brown in "Zoologist," 1881, p. 162). From Mr K. Inglis, 

 keeper, Tyninghame, I 'learn that a brother of his killed a 

 number at Dunglass about fifty years ago. Mr Thomas 

 Hope, taxidermist, Edinburgh, tells me he has seen a good 

 many killed in the neighbourhood of Jedburgh — the last 

 about thirty years back ; and in the Berwickshire Naturalists' 

 Club "Proceedings" for 1883 (vol. x., p. 269), it is stated 

 that the last in "Black Andros" wood in Yarrow was killed 

 " some years ago." 



WEASEL. 



MUSTELA VULGARIS Erxl. 



This, the smallest of our Carnivora, is also the commonest, 

 being still fairly numerous and generally distributed. About 

 the farms and plantations of the Lothians it is a familiar 

 object, preying for the most part on mice and small voles, 

 which I have frequently watched it capturing. The actions 

 of the Weasel when driven from its prey are most interest- 

 ing, but require to be seen to be properly appreciated. On 

 9th January 1886, I observed one crossing the path in 

 Dalmeny Park with something dangling from its mouth. 

 On my throwing a stone at it, it dropped the object — a pretty 

 little Bank Vole — and darted out of sight among the rou^h 

 herbage. Taking my stand within two yards of the dead 

 vole, I had not many seconds to wait till the Weasel 



